The disclosure generally relates to thermoplastic compositions that are transparent and/or translucent.
Polycarbonate polymers are transparent engineering thermoplastic materials that combine desirable mechanical, optical, thermal, and electrical properties. Frequently polycarbonate polymers are blended with other materials to improve some mechanical properties such as impact resistance. The resulting blend typically exhibits reduced transparency or even opacity when compared to polycarbonate. In fact, transparency may be lost upon the addition of even small amounts of rubbery impact modifier. There is a growing need for transparent/translucent materials. Currently available polycarbonate compositions typically exhibit a certain level of translucency or opacity, which cannot be manipulated over a visually significant range, without a significant variation in composition and physical properties.
There is an unprecedented demand for thermoplastic compositions having better clarity in addition to excellent physical properties, especially in cases where visual effects additives need to be incorporated into the thermoplastic compositions for aesthetic purposes.
There remains a need for a transparent or translucent thermoplastic composition that has excellent physical properties, especially at lower temperatures.